Relating to maternal and child health

Division II of the bill relates to maternal best practices or safety bundle requirements for hospitals. The bill requires a licensed hospital that provides labor and delivery services to 1) adopt and implement the current best practices or safety bundles recommended by the American college of obstetricians and gynecologists and the alliance for innovation on maternal health; 2) provide information to the public, including but not limited to maternity and neonatal level of care status and the meaning of a maternity and neonatal level of care status, cesarean birth, vaginal births following cesarean births, and exclusive breast-feeding statistics; 3) provide all women receiving labor and delivery services with information and assistance in applying for services and health care coverage available for the woman and the infant including but not limited to those available through Medicaid; area education agencies; the federal women, infants, and children program; and home visiting programs; and other programs prior to discharge from the hospital; and 4) have in place a comprehensive labor and delivery unit closure plan that includes a plan for future births and pregnancies and the capacity of other providers to absorb the services in case of unit closure. Division III of the bill requires DHS to engage in a cross-agency collaboration with the departments of public health and education to identify and leverage funding sources and opportunities, including Medicaid, to expand home visiting services for women, infants, and young children that promote healthy pregnancies, positive birth outcomes, and healthy infant growth and development. The departments shall involve key stakeholders in designing a home visiting services approach for the state. Home visiting services shall be available to women prenatally, throughout the pregnancy, and postpartum, and shall include mental and physical health, social, educational, and other services and interventions based upon the risk factors and needs identified. The departments may conduct a feasibility study to consider the various options available to increase Medicaid coverage and funding of home visiting services, either through a state plan amendment or waiver. DHS shall seek federal approval of any Medicaid state plan amendment or waiver necessary to administer this division of the bill.